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2024 Best Liberal Arts Schools

811 Colleges in the United States
354,866 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded
Liberal Arts is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #2 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 811 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Liberal Arts Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 354,866 degrees in liberal arts during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts School

Best Liberal Arts Schools Your choice of liberal arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Liberal Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Liberal Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Liberal Studies
Bachelor's Degrees in Liberal Studies
Master's Degrees in Liberal Studies
Doctor's Degrees in Liberal Studies

The liberal studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Liberal Arts Schools. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Liberal Arts in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of liberal studies degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Liberal Studies

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
26th Most Popular In PA
44 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

University of Pennsylvania is a good option for students pursuing a degree in liberal arts. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Pennsylvania

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In MD
58 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in liberal arts has to take a look at Johns Hopkins University. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were roughly 58 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In TX
188 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you wish to pursue a degree in liberal arts. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 188 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from The University of Texas at Austin

4
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In DC
38 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in liberal arts has to look into Georgetown University. Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were about 38 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Georgetown University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY
594 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 594 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from New York University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In MA
80 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Waltham, Bentley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #32 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bentley is a great university overall.

There were about 80 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Bentley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Bentley University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57th Most Popular In IL
5.0% Growth in Graduates

UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 20 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Chicago

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26th Most Popular In MA
18.2% Growth in Graduates

MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #1 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means MIT is a great school overall.

There were roughly 11 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In TX
44 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Southern Methodist University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OK
230 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the suburb of Norman. This university ranks 1st out of 32 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were roughly 230 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66th Most Popular In NC
6.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 29 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from North Carolina State University

12
Wesleyan U crest
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CT
40 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Middletown, Wesleyan U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were roughly 40 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Wesleyan U in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Wesleyan University

13
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In PA
43 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. This university ranks 10th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 43 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Drexel University

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
21st Most Popular In PA

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were about 22 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Villanova University

15
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IN
32 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were roughly 32 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Notre Dame

16
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In KS
96 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 96 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Kansas

17
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In IA
183 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 183 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Iowa

18
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In VA
93 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 93 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from George Mason University

19
Providence crest
Providence College
Providence, RI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In RI

Providence is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Providence. This college ranks 2nd out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.

There were approximately 4 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Providence in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Providence College

19
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In UT
873 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

UVU is a very large public university located in the city of Orem. This university ranks 4th out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were about 873 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UVU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Utah Valley University

20
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In TN

Located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 21 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Middle Tennessee State University

21
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43rd Most Popular In FL

U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Coral Gables. This university ranks 2nd out of 77 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were about 10 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of Miami

22
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
25th Most Popular In TX

Located in the large city of Houston, UST is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 38th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 16 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at UST in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from University of St. Thomas

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97th Most Popular In CA
61 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 30th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 61 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at SMC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Saint Mary’s College of California

24
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
21st Most Popular In TX
37 Liberal Studies Degrees Awarded

TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth. This university ranks 5th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 37 liberal arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in liberal arts from Texas Christian University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Liberal Arts Schools

26
27
Montgomery College crest
Montgomery College
Rockville, MD
28
29
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
30
31
32
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA

33

34
Golden West College crest
Golden West College
Huntington Beach, CA
35
36
St. John's Annapolis crest
St John's College
Annapolis, MD
37
38
39
39
41

42

43
44
45
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA
46
Cuesta College crest
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA
47
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ
48
49
50

Additional Award Winners

This list represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Liberal Arts Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 811 different United States liberal arts schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
51Western Illinois UniversityMacomb, IL
51Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN
52University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
53University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL
54Central New Mexico Community CollegeAlbuquerque, NM
55Arizona State University - SkysongScottsdale, AZ
56Mesa Community CollegeMesa, AZ
57Normandale Community CollegeBloomington, MN
58San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CA
59Macomb Community CollegeWarren, MI
60Oklahoma State University - Main CampusStillwater, OK
61Columbia CollegeColumbia, MO
62California State University - SacramentoSacramento, CA
63Northwest Vista CollegeSan Antonio, TX
63Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ
64Utah State UniversityLogan, UT
64Howard Community CollegeColumbia, MD
65Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
66Thomas Edison State UniversityTrenton, NJ
67Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT
68Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
69Seattle UniversitySeattle, WA
70California State University - Dominguez HillsCarson, CA
71Portland State UniversityPortland, OR
72Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
73Riverside City CollegeRiverside, CA
74University of Northern IowaCedar Falls, IA
75Los Angeles Pierce CollegeWoodland Hills, CA
76University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA
77Union UniversityJackson, TN
78Los Angeles Valley CollegeValley Glen, CA
79Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ
80Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny, IA
81Brandman UniversityIrvine, CA
82Westfield State UniversityWestfield, MA
83University of MemphisMemphis, TN
84William Rainey Harper CollegePalatine, IL
84Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga, CA
85Oklahoma City Community CollegeOklahoma City, OK
86Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester, NY
86Lee UniversityCleveland, TN
87Collin County Community College DistrictMcKinney, TX
88Azusa Pacific UniversityAzusa, CA
89McLennan Community CollegeWaco, TX
90Fort Hays State UniversityHays, KS
91University of Missouri - Kansas CityKansas City, MO
92Frederick Community CollegeFrederick, MD
93Pima Community CollegeTucson, AZ
94West Valley CollegeSaratoga, CA
95Sonoma State UniversityRohnert Park, CA
96Metropolitan Community College - Kansas CityKansas City, MO
97University of DelawareNewark, DE
98Bergen Community CollegeParamus, NJ
99Thomas Aquinas CollegeSanta Paula, CA
100Johnson County Community CollegeOverland Park, KS
101Metropolitan Community CollegeOmaha, NE
102South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX
103Los Angeles Harbor CollegeWilmington, CA
104California State University - Monterey BaySeaside, CA
105Anne Arundel Community CollegeArnold, MD
105Washington CollegeChestertown, MD
106Texas A&M University - CommerceCommerce, TX
107San Antonio CollegeSan Antonio, TX
108William Jewell CollegeLiberty, MO
108Georgia State University-Perimeter CollegeAtlanta, GA
109Front Range Community CollegeWestminster, CO
110Simpson CollegeIndianola, IA
111Endicott CollegeBeverly, MA
112Suffolk County Community CollegeSelden, NY
113San Jose City CollegeSan Jose, CA
114Xavier UniversityCincinnati, OH
115Soka University of AmericaAliso Viejo, CA
116Anoka-Ramsey Community CollegeCoon Rapids, MN
117Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeNew York, NY
118Cerritos CollegeNorwalk, CA
119Eastern Connecticut State UniversityWillimantic, CT
120University of New Mexico - Main CampusAlbuquerque, NM
121St Charles Community CollegeCottleville, MO

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts students that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
122University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY
123Cincinnati State Technical and Community CollegeCincinnati, OH
124City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington CollegeChicago, IL
125Los Angeles City CollegeLos Angeles, CA
126Beaufort County Community CollegeWashington, NC
127Rider UniversityLawrenceville, NJ
128Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL
129The Graduate Center, CUNYNew York, NY
130Arkansas State University - Main CampusJonesboro, AR
131Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
132College of Southern NevadaLas Vegas, NV
133New Mexico State University - Main CampusLas Cruces, NM
134Central Arizona CollegeCoolidge, AZ
135Community College of Baltimore CountyBaltimore, MD
136Elgin Community CollegeElgin, IL
137St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeSaint Cloud, MN
138Indiana University - South BendSouth Bend, IN
138Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, OR
139Indiana University - SoutheastNew Albany, IN
140Valencia CollegeOrlando, FL
141Century CollegeWhite Bear Lake, MN
142Catawba Valley Community CollegeHickory, NC
143California State University - ChicoChico, CA
144Dakota College at BottineauBottineau, ND
145Rutgers University - CamdenCamden, NJ
146NorthWest Arkansas Community CollegeBentonville, AR
147Waubonsee Community CollegeSugar Grove, IL
148Alverno CollegeMilwaukee, WI
149University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA
150City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey CollegeChicago, IL
151University of Akron Main CampusAkron, OH
152Cleveland Community CollegeShelby, NC
153Oakland Community CollegeAuburn Hills, MI
154Grand Valley State UniversityAllendale, MI
155Touro CollegeNew York, NY
156Bellevue CollegeBellevue, WA
156University of La VerneLa Verne, CA
157Chesapeake CollegeWye Mills, MD
158Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN
159Chandler-Gilbert Community CollegeChandler, AZ
160Community College of AuroraAurora, CO
161University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, NC
162North Hennepin Community CollegeBrooklyn Park, MN

Liberal Arts by Region

View the Best Liberal Arts Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Liberal Arts is one of 3 different types of Liberal Arts General Studies programs to choose from.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
General Studies125,813
Individualized Studies36,716
Humanities21,530

View All Liberal Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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